A Little Different
by loveisalie
Summary: PonyBoy finds a girl abandoned in an alley. When looked upon more closely he finds that he needs to protect her.


Chapter 1, A little different Day

**A/n – this is my first stab at writing an _Outsiders_ fic. So, bear with me. **

**Disclaimer– S.E. Hinton owns it all, 'Cept for what you don't recognize**.

PonyBoy Curtis, that's my name. I am 15 years old, and I live with my brothers, Darry and Sodapop. We are greasers. Anyways, I was walking home from the movies it was getting dark. I probably had missed my curfew by now. 

I was walking past the vacant lot when I saw it. I couldn't tell what it was, either something, or a human. So, I did what I do best, investigate. It was a human, a girl. She was unconscious and, well beat up pretty bad. It made her look tuff. "Holy shit." I heard myself say. She was bleeding bad, I bet the socks had something to do with this! 

I picked her up and carried her. She was light. She looked... starved almost. I pushed open the front door to my house (it was always unlocked incase a member of our gang needed somewhere to crash). I heard Darry in the kitchen, "Ponyboy! You have explaining to do! Its 45 minutes past curfew!"

"Darry! Help!" I yelled, setting the girl on the couch. 

"What's a matter Ponyboy? Golly, did you get jumped?" He asked. I looked at myself, true I had blood on my shirt, but it was the girls'.

"Not me, her." I said pointing at the girl on the couch. Darry walked over to examine her. 

"Golly! What happened to her?" He asked.

"I don't know Dar, I found her in the lot." He nodded. 

The screen door slammed shut. Sodapop went into the kitchen, looking for Darry. He didn't even think we would be by the couch. "Darry! I can't find him!" Great, he had been looking for me. I groaned silently. 

"Soda, he came home! In here, we need your help." Darry called.

Soda took one look at me and said, "Dear lord! Did those damned Socks get ya?" 

"No, they got her." I pointed at the girl.

"Holy shit!" My thoughts exactly.

"Pony, get upstairs, take a long shower." Darry commanded.

"But—!" I protested

"Now." Darry growled, and Soda nodded.

I stomped up the stairs. They probably wanted to talk so I couldn't hear them. They only do that when its really important, and even then, I usually can sit in on them. So after a quick shower, 5 minutes or so, I walked halfway down the stairs. I could hear them, soft, but I heard them.

"— We can't! She's a Soc!" That was Darry. That girl was a Soc? Impossible.

"Darry! We can't turn her away! Something bad has happened to her! She could die! You know that! And, Pony would be angry. You know how he's been affected by Johnny and Dally's deaths, it'd kill him!" Soda reasoned. 

I stepped off the stair, walking behind Darry I said "We can't turn her 'way. If you do, I'll run. That's a promise." 

Darry turned to face me he was pale. "Fine, she stays. I ain't watchin' her though." 

"I will." I said happily. As long as this girl was safe, it'd be okay. 

About 30 minutes later, both Darry and Soda went up to bed. I settled in a chair that I had pulled up so I could be near the girl. I could hear her breath, _in... out... in... out... in... out..._ so the pattern continued. It was lolling me to sleep. The rhythm was like baby's breath. 

My eyes were closing. I was losing grip on staying awake. The sleep was calling my name. _"Pony... Pony... close your eyes..." _or so I thought. I was shook awake. 

"Huh? S'matter?" I asked groggily. 

"Pony! Wake up! Now!" It was Darry he was still shaking me. _SPLASH! _

"Damn! That was cold! What did you do that for?" I asked looking at Soda. 

"You wouldn't wake." He replied with an innocent grin.

"So!?" I demanded.

"Well, your friend here seems to have woken, we are off to work, you probably wanna talk to her, and yeah... that's it." He said.

My head snapped up. The girl was looking at me with bright cyan blue eyes. Beauty. I heard the door slam, the car rev. Soda's driving. 

"Hi." I said softly. 

"Hi." She replied, shyly. 

"Name's Ponyboy Curtis. What's yours?" 

"Hollie Dabem." She said in no more than a whisper. 

I could sense she was scared, though she hid it well. "I won't hurt you." I promised. She just nodded her head, but it probably hurt to do so. "Stay here," I told her. 

In the kitchen, I turned the stove on and boiled up some hot water. When it was ready, I poured some into a bowl and grabbed a washcloth. Hollie looked at me. She didn't say anything, so I said, "I am just gonna clean off your cuts. It might sting a little. Okay?" I asked her, like I was talking to a 3 year old.

"No." She said.

I blinked. I hadn't expected that. "Why not?" I asked her calmly.

"I... I can't say." She stuttered. 

"Hollie, its okay. You can tell me." I assured her. She looked at me with those pretty cyan eyes. Golly, I could have died. "Trust me. I just want to help you." I said in an honest voice. It was the truth. I wanted to strangle the ones who had done this to her. She didn't deserve it. She couldn't have been no more than 11, 12 at the most. "Hollie, how old are you? I am 15." I said. 

"14." Wow, she was older than I thought. 

"Please let me help you." I said again.

"I cant!" She cried out.

"Why not?" I demanded again.

She looked into my eyes, "Promise you won't tell?" She asked. I nodded, but thought to myself, '_Only if its not that serious.' _"They... they raped me."

**A/n – there is my pathetic attempt of a cliffhanger! Ha, R&R and thanks to my beta, My Lil' Angel. She's a great beta! I hope you liked it! **

**Beta Note: This is cool, different but cool. Okay, so no flames and be nice R/R!**


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